Color Series: Inspired by Purple

Purple, noun.
defn. Chromatic color between red and blue.

From preliminary research at Flickr, purple is not a popular color for art journaling. Yet it is a color with incredible depth and possibility.

Nine Ways to Get inspired to use a new color in your art.

1. <Mind Map> Brainstorm the concepts that pop into your mind when you consider a color. This mind map was developed in PITT pen in a 5x8" moleskine while en route from Germany to the US in June. My mind map included, "mysterious, velvet and saturated."

2. <Flickr Groups> Check the Purple [A World of Colors] and Cartel Color: Violet Purple Lavender groups. You can go to any group's page and enter a term in the search box to search just within that group. Search "lavender" or "urban" to pull photos tagged lavender or urban, or with those words in the description. Tag your Flickr photos creatively to share the tag love.

3. <Art> Flickr artist Teknicolor Paula K shares purple pages from an altered book. Sole Believer by Flickr artist Jeanine P has lots of purple love. Each art journal page is unique. Art journaling can inspire you to create something, or evoke an emotion.

Artist Georgina Ferrans created Altered Journal 64, (below) while on holiday in Greece. In creating unique and vividly colored art journal pages, Georgina often captures something from her surroundings on paper. Mulberries from a "hillside monestary garden... built over a sacred spring" were used to stain the pages vivid purple. Check out her blog Phizzychick! {Used with permission from the artist.}

4. <Photography> You will find what you look for. Focus on purple this week.  Tag photos in photo editing software and review for color ideas. Here, a photo of dried salvia petals fallen on a stone wall in our garden.

5. <Stuff> Colored pencils, magic markers, pastels, neocolors, crayons, scrapbook paper, fabric, thread, embroidery floss, jewelry, draperies, clothing, artwork... How many shades of purple, lavender, periwinkle, maroon, indigo & violet can you find? What about combining one color in a variety of media? Lavender pencils + indigo neocolors + white cardstock?

6. <Stores> Don't worry, this does not entail buying a thing! Try Home Depot or a paint store and snag a few of the purple hued color chips. Hint, have your kids help you, as they might find colors that you don't notice. Use them for inspiration or in your art. Explore the scarves at a high-end department store or the violets in your fav fabric store.

7. <Color Inspiration Board> Hang a large cork board in your office, workspace or kitchen. Collect things that inspire you. Post fabric samples, photographs, bits from ads, tags, product packages, greeting cards, catalogs, wallpaper. Only include things that elicit a smile!.

8. <Digital Inspiration Board>  Build a low-tech digital inspiration board from photos on your computer. Simply copy all of your purple (or whatever your current focus, be it a color or a subject) photos into a folder and look at them as a filmstrip or thumbnails.

9. <Mosaic> Use Flickr Tools Mosaic Maker to pull together photos from Flickr with any tag... like my Purple Inspiration mosaic.

Fun stuff...

• What Color Crayon are You? from iHanna's Create & Live Happy
• All About Purple from Squidoo

Today we travel from pale lavender flowers to saturated velvet indigo draperies...launch your art in a new direction, bring new color into the repetoire, exercise your brain. You know what color you dip your brush in first, the paper you automatically reach for, the smallest (most loved) neocolor in the box. We reach for colors that we love. The page is yours.

Choose any color you like. Start anywhere you like.  Check out the entire Color Series!